Post operative recuperation for many patients often involves a long period of confinement to a bed. Some patients are able to leave their bed to relieve themselves. However, some patients must remain in bed, and such patients require the use of a bed pan. This situation can be uncomfortable for many patients, but can be detrimental to the recovery of others.
For example, patients who have undergone hip surgery, or the like, may need special care and special procedures when using a bed pan. Hip replacement surgery is one of the most prevalent operations today. Some estimate that there are as many as one hundred thousand such operations performed each year. Such patients may be required to remain supine for long periods of time, and should not move out of certain prescribed orientations so the femur bone of the repaired or replaced hip does not release from the hip socket, or any screws in the repaired or replaced hip loosen. A Foley catheter should not be used because this catheter may cause infections that may get into the hemovac site, which goes to the center of the bone. Therefore, such patients must use a bed pan to void. Such patients often void because IVs are running post-operative for hydration purposes and filtration of the blood from the hemovac site is taking place. However, improper alignment among the patient's hips, legs and spine can result in the above-mentioned problems associated with the repaired hip. In addition to hip surgery, other procedures that may require lengthy periods of supine bed ridden recovery as well as proper relative alignment between a patient's legs, hips and spine, include: cranial surgery, abdominal surgery, Lammy, Lammy fusion, skeletal traction and some eye surgery, cerebral vascular accident victims, pelvic external fixations and those associated with neck, head and chest injuries where chest tubes might be invalid. In addition, some recovery is often carried out at home; however, the home recovery associated with such procedures often requires the same body alignments.
Therefore, in these circumstances, it is often very important that the patient's hips, legs and spine remain properly oriented with respect to each other. This makes using a bed pan, even one that is can be used without leaving the supine position, difficult.
While the art includes several devices that can elevate a bed-ridden supine patient's hips for using a bed pan, the inventors are not aware of any device which ensures total patient leg, hip and spine alignment during such activity.
Still further, many patients differ in their needs and comfort level during recovery. In fact, a single patient may have varying needs during his or her recovery period. Therefore, even during use of a bed pan, there should be some means for customizing the device used for each particular situation.
Therefore, there is a need for a system which not only supports a supine patient's hips during use of a bed pan, but also maintains proper relative alignment among the patient's legs, hips and spine, and which is easy to use and is easily and widely adjustable so it is amenable to both hospital and home use for a variety of situations.
Still further, in many situations, it is extremely uncomfortable, and perhaps dangerous, for a patient to be turned during some parts of a recovery period. Many bed pan units known to the inventors require the patient to be turned or otherwise to have his or her hips moved in order to place the bed pan beneath the patient.
Therefore, there is a need for a bed pan system which can be placed under a patient without having to turn the patient.